Three is a crowd: David and Julie get back on track 

(Continued from last issue)

David and Diane have been married for years; then there is Julie, the young secretary whose axis collides with the couple’s in ways none of them saw coming.

DIANE

I spent all evening trying to figure out what was going on between David and my doctor; there was something familiar about him that made me think I had seen him somewhere before, and if only I could remember where!

Ironically, after I had puzzled over it for hours, the answer finally came to me in my sleep! I dreamt I was driving down a long empty road in the middle of the night, and suddenly through the darkness, there was a bright light to one side of me, and when I turned to see where it was coming from, there was the doctor standing in front of a car with its headlights on, carrying a baby, and next to him, was none other than David’s whore!

Before I could respond, all three of them faded away, until it was just the car headlights left blinding me, and growing bigger and bigger, as the car raced towards me.

Just before it hit me, I jerked awake in a cold sweat, my heart racing at the vivid reminder of the accident, and it took a moment before I realized it was just a dream, and I was safe and sound in the hospital.

As my heart rate slowly returned to normal, my breath steadied, the tension left my body, and I sighed in relief before closing my eyes and letting my mind go back to the start of the dream. In my mind’s eye, I could still clearly see my doctor standing next to her while carrying that baby, and now l knew exactly who he was, why he looked so familiar, and why there was a palpable tension between David and him.

JULIE

I lay awake in bed for hours after David left, reflecting on his visit and what it said about the state of our relationship. If there was one thing this evening had taught me, it was that our feelings were a conscious decision that did not have to be determined by circumstances or other people’s actions.

I now realized that while David had hurt me, by holding on to my pain and anger, I had stopped myself from forgiving him, and had consequently blocked the opportunity for our relationship to heal.

In all likelihood, that had probably been solely because of my feelings for Kenneth, which was why it was only now that that relationship was over, that I had been able to once again open my heart to David.

This in turn had shown me something about myself that I had not previously been aware of; that while like everyone else, I was afraid of being hurt, my fear of being alone far outweighed that of having my heart broken. I did not know what the future of my relationship with David looked like, but I did know that it was better than one lived on my own.

Finally, now that I had realized that my feelings were totally in my control, I knew that just like I had re-opened my heart to David, I must close it to Kenneth; and that this was the only way my rekindled feelings for David could once again grow into love.

Besides, while I had never thought of myself as a proud person, I would not give my love to someone who refused to love me back; I had handed Kenneth my heart on a silver platter, and he had thrown it back in my face – I would not offer it again.

DAVID

It was strange but relaxing to get back home that night to a totally silent house; no Diane sulking about me being late, no children fussing and fighting upstairs; not even a maid clanging pans and dishes as she washed up in the kitchen – absolute silence, and total bliss.

The peace and quiet made it possible for me to truly relax and think back on the day’s wins and losses, and after I had showered and changed, I got myself a beer and headed out to the back porch; with no sounds other than a light breeze rustling through the trees, and no distraction apart from the mystery of the night sky and the occasional late chirp of a bird, it was one of my favourite go-to places at home whenever I wanted some space and time to think and meditate.

I started with the less pleasant thoughts of that morning’s visit to the police station; I considered myself a pretty organized person, particularly when it came to finances, and an unbudgeted expense, especially one as large as the one Diane’s mess had created, was definitely disconcerting.

Besides that, her announcement that her mother was going to be moving in for a while, had poured cold water on my anticipated plans to spend more time at the apartment with Julie while Diane was admitted, and I resented her for not just the disruption to those plans, but also for the disruption to our general domestic situation that the accident had caused.

As it were, the day’s only saving grace was the time I had spent with Julie that evening; our relationship was clearly back on track, and with all the problems Diane had caused, it couldn’t have come at a better time.

My attraction to Julie had always been her innocent, soft and warm nature, which contrasted so sharply with Diane’s colder, more rigid one, and with my current feelings of frustration towards Diane, having Julie’s open arms to turn to, was a welcome and opportune refuge.

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